


in a city this trashy, someone needs to be the fucking garbage collector

by MigrantMayhem



Series: death can't touch us, honey [5]
Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Expectations, F/M, Fights, First Dates, Johnny Silverhand Being An Asshole, Johnny Silverhand Has a Body, Johnny Silverhand Has a Heart, Love Confessions, No Way, Not me using this to cope with trauma, Soft Johnny Silverhand, V is a saint, angry crying, haha what, i am literally in love with this ship guys, im so sorry, lots of soft johnny silverhand in chapter 2, oh it's just really cute guys, overprotective johnny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:21:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MigrantMayhem/pseuds/MigrantMayhem
Summary: V is sick of the hate and anger of Night City. When she gets caught by a mugger who doesn't know what he's doing, she takes pity on him, tries to lend a hand. Johnny hates it.Meanwhile, Johnny has to figure out why the hell it hurts him so much when V puts herself in danger.---this officially has a smutty sequel-- go check out "the rockstar experience" if you're into that
Relationships: Johnny Silverhand/V
Series: death can't touch us, honey [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2196861
Comments: 18
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so, you might be wondering how the hell johnny got a body! I'm working with the idea that V a) followed the Kabuki champion, Esquerdo Certo's, breadcrumbs to figure out how to install a neuro-oscillating system (allowing her to exist in two bodies at once) and b) also miraculously found a clone of Johnny Silverhand somewhere in an Arasaka lab (maybe at Mikoshi look idk I haven't finished the game just work with me on it)  
> Anyway, after like a week of surgeries, at least three rippers and maybe even one netrunner involved, they installed the neu-osc over V's damaged neuroport, basically doing an improvised reconstruction, encapsulating the Relic, yadda yadda, everyone lives.  
> This also means that Johnny like, doesn't have the silver arm. Because it's a new body, and it didn't get blown off in the war. (The clone's also a little bit younger, so he's like physically 29 or 30 instead of 34 just for shits n giggles)

“Millisec, Johnny. I’ll see you--” V’s thought got caught in her throat when she felt an arm wrap around her throat and drag her into the shadows. The boy pinned her against the wall, iron in his hand, pointed at her head. With a thought, V ended the Holo call.

“Gimme your eddies, bitch,” The kid spat, bruised and bloody, couldn’t have been older than eighteen. The gun shook in his hand.

_ V? _ Johnny’s thoughts were urgent in her head,  _ What the fuck? _

_ Wait, Johnny _ , she thought back,  _ Just some kid _ .

She knew that Johnny was on his way to find her. She knew this kid would be done for if she let him get there.

“You hear me?  _ Gimme your eddies! _ ” The kid yelled, pressing the gun to her head.

“You ever done this before?” She asked cooly, calmly. The kid’s brows furrowed.

“What?”

“You ever  _ done  _ this before? ‘Cuz if the shaking of your hand is any indication, you’re new to this whole biz.”

“J-Just shut the  _ fuck  _ up, get your wallet, and put your  _ fuckin’ _ eddies in the bag!”

“You should know no one carries paper eddies around.”

“You need me to jack into you and pull ‘em from your account myself?” He spat, standing right in her face.

V took a settling breath, ignoring the adrenaline, ignoring her instinct to reach up and break the kid’s neck, ignoring Johnny’s rage and anger and desire to drive his fist through this gonk’s face for even  _ touchin’  _ his V. Instead she brought her arm up and easily pulled his gun hand away from her head, pushing the nose of it into the brick wall behind her. He squeezed the trigger in panic, but she just heard a  _ click! _ . He stared at her, who was suddenly, effortlessly in control. His eyes were wide, he looked like he was about to cry.

“You gotta be careful when you’re pickin’ targets, kid,” She  _ tsked _ , easily disarming him, but held him firmly in her grip, “What do you need the money for? Drugs? Clout? Bail?”

“W-What do  _ you  _ care--” He spat, pulling his arm back, but his grip was now match for her cyber-enhanced one. It seemed to dawn on him that he was dealing with someone who knew more about this biz than he did.

“You catch more flies with honey, kid,” She squeezed a little tighter, feeling the bones shift under her palm. He winced, crying out, “Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t just alert the pigs to your shitty performance? I doubt they’ll care if your gun was loaded or not.”

“M-My mom--” He whimpered, “Sh-she’s sick,  _ please _ \--  _ fuck! _ ”

V’s grip released on the man’s arm, not letting go but not hurting him. He swallowed, eyes wide.

“ _ Shit _ , how sick?”

_ V, he’s fuckin’ playing you _ , Johnny growled in her head.

_ He’s not a fuckin’ cyberpsycho, _ she spat back,  _ He’s scared shitless. _

“She got some kinda virus-- implants been actin’ up, I-I can’t get her to a ripper--”

V sighed through her teeth, “Hang on, hold still, kid.” She could hear Johnny’s broken, furious thoughts in her head as she wired five hundred eddies to the kid. She saw the insides of his eyes light up, and then his brows raise.

“If you’re gonna get into dangerous biz, you gotta at least learn to fuckin’ shoot. Get your mom fixed up, then go see Wilson at the 2nd Amendment, megabuilding 10. Know he’s short on cash, willing to teach you if you pay him.”

“W-Why are you tellin’ me this?” The kid asked, rubbing his wrist when V let go.

“Because this city is big. Scary. And better armed than you are. I don’t wanna see another soul swallowed up, not if I can help it.”

He blinked, eyes wide, watery. Fuck, he was just a kid.

“Okay, what then, wise-ass?” He wielded his attitude like a shield, “Join a gang, or some shit?”

“Keep an ear to the ground. Lotsa low-stakes merc work in this city. You’ll figure it out.”

The kid stared, backing away from V. She heard footsteps rounding the corner and knew Johnny was right there, the kid spotted him and ran.

Johnny ran up to V, rage barely contained within his body, bleeding into hers.

“What the fuck was that?” He spat.

“Was just a kid, Johnny,” She growled, not meeting his gaze.

“He had a  _ gun  _ to your head, V--”

“Wasn’t loaded--”

“ _ You  _ didn’t fucking  _ know  _ that,” He rounded on her, nearly boxing her against the same brick wall. He let out a ragged sigh from his lips, pacing, before finally pressing his back against the brick next to her. “He played you like a damn fiddle, V.”

“So what? I wasn’t usin’ those eddies,”

“Not the point, V. It’s why you don’t feed strays. They’ll come back. They always come back.” A pause, “Fuck me, I need a cig.”

“Thought you were tryin’ to quit.”

“Well  _ you  _ make that pretty fuckin’ difficult,” He grumbled.

“For  _ fucks  _ sake, Johnny!” She shouted, standing up off the wall, “I can’t do  _ one  _ nice thing in this fucking city without you being on my ass about it!”

“Not when you’re putting your life--  _ our  _ life on the line for it! You fuckin’ told him where you  _ live _ , V!”

“I told him where fuckin’  _ Wilson _ is, jackass! It’s a  _ megabuilding _ , plenty of people live there!”

“And what the hell do you do if he follows your advice, spots you one day and follows you to your apartment, demanding more eddies and  _ now  _ he actually knows how to fuckin’ shoot! What the  _ fuck  _ were you thinkin’?!”

V was silent, fists clenching, fingernails digging into her palm. Tears burned in her eyes and all she wanted to do was wring Johnny’s fucking neck, but instead she just stood there,  _ taking  _ it.

“You fuckin’  _ weren’t,  _ were you? You were hoping he’d see this fuckin’ kindness and pay it forward, but that’s how you get  _ burned  _ in this city-- I thought you fuckin’  _ knew  _ that! You’re so fuckin’  _ naive _ , V, coddled in those fuckin’ badlands and-- what? You’re not gonna say nothin’? Just gonna  _ stand  _ there?” He stepped up to her, and she stared up at him, seething under her breath, feeling a tear leave her eye and roll down her cheek. Johnny’s eyes widened for a second, and she could hear all the things he wanted to say, both good and bad, but bit back.

“ _ Fuck  _ you, Johnny,” She spat, “ _ Fuck  _ you.”

V wiped her eyes and sprinted out of the alley, called her car, and sped off towards her apartment.

_ We’re not done, V _ , Johnny thought,  _ You can’t run from me _ .

_ I can beat your ass home, lock you out _ .

_ You wouldn’t _ .

_ Fucking try me, bitch _ .

His thoughts were boiling with rage, and V thought she was better than this, the bigger man, but no, she was just as petty as he was, because she got to the apartment and locked the door behind her. She popped an omega blocker-- thankful they still worked the same way-- and allowed herself a moment of peace. Johnny’s bitter thoughts grew angrier as she sought to block him out, but it didn’t matter, because the pill did it’s job in under 15 minutes and his voice was muffled until it was nothing. She was alone, and her head was empty, and it was scary-- always was-- but it was temporary. It gave her four to six hours of relative peace, to work through her own emotions without having to worry about that psycho’s.

She dragged out her guitar and started playing, screaming lines and verses at the top of her lungs, not really a song, but not really anything else, typing up lines that she thought were half-decent. She cried, wiping tears off of her old acoustic as quickly as she could, scared to ruin the one thing that she felt really made her  _ her _ . She finally was reduced to a sniveling mess, unable to yell, unable to scream, just feeling  _ stupid _ , for everything-- for being naive. Johnny was right.  _ Fuck him _ , but he was right. Everything--  _ everything  _ leading up to this moment, was built out of her own  _ fucking _ naiveity. The kid and the money, Johnny’s resurrection, Jackie’s death, her escape to the city. What good had any of it brought her? What was the  _ fucking  _ point, of caring? Of giving a  _ fuck  _ in a city that just takes, and  _ takes, and takes _ \--

A fist pounded on the door like it was the fucking cops, and V jumped, startled out of her own skin, and she hated the fact that she was so jumpy right now.

“ _ V! _ ” Johnny yelled through the door, “ _ V _ , let me the  _ fuck  _ in!”

She didn’t say anything, curled up into herself, feeling her anger begin to build only to be replaced with suffocating  _ hopelessness _ . He was tied to her. There was no point in keeping him outside, that wouldn’t change the fact that he was inside. A sob wracked her body and she was thankful for the quiet in her mind, on her side, at least-- she didn’t want to face Johnny this…  _ soft _ .  _ Weak _ .

There was a stillness on the other side of the door, before he knocked again, refusing to be forgotten. “V, please,” His voice was so much softer, now.

V didn’t move, heart hammering in her chest as she cried.

Finally, a weak, barely-there, “I’m sorry,” was muttered into the door, and V felt her gut knot up. She stood up, setting her guitar besides her desk, and opened the door. He met her gaze, and he looked  _ terrible _ . Like those handful of minutes separated from her were an eternity for him. She sniffled, rubbing her nose on the back of her palm. She looked away, swallowing thickly.

“Fuck, V--” He breathed, and he sounded heartbroken.

“What do you want, Johnny?” She muttered, bitter. She stepped away from the door, turning her back to him. He stepped inside, and she heard the door close behind him. He didn’t say anything, but he stepped closer to her, warmth from his body radiating towards her. She wondered why he hesitated, maybe asking permission before he remembered she took the omega blockers. She wanted him to-- to hold her, pull her into his embrace, say he didn’t mean it, say he was just scared, say  _ he loved her _ \--

“You love me?” He asked out loud, voice barely above a whisper. It was the first time she’d ever heard him astonished.

She didn’t say anything, she couldn’t. Another sob rose from her throat and she screwed her eyes shut, pulling her arms tighter around herself.

“Shit, V, I-I’m sorry…” He stepped up behind her, hands brushing lightly over her shoulders, warm enough that she just melted into him. She turned quickly, burying her face into his shirt, arms sneaking under the jacket he wore and wrapping around him, hands balling into fists between his shoulder blades. He almost recoiled, but slowly his arms settled around her as well, pulling her into his chest, chin resting delicately on the crown of her head. She cried, squeezing him until her elbows dug into his ribs, and she felt his breathing catch in his lungs. Johnny just sighed, deep but quiet as he could muster. She wondered if he felt guilty-- she couldn’t hear his thoughts right now, a decision that was impulsively nice, but now she wished more than anything to let him back in, she wanted to  _ know _ \-- fuck, he was so hard to read when she wasn’t under his skin--

“V, c’mon. Let’s sit down.” Johnny urged gently, and she’s still so surprised to hear him speak gently, no one-liners, no quips. She knew he could still hear her fine, he didn’t take the omega blockers, was that changing his behavior? He led her to the couch like she was porcelain, like the slightest move she would shatter. She couldn’t help but wonder how many people had seen this side of Johnny. In her catalogue of jumbled, broken memories of his, it was no one.

She sat down on the couch, breath coming in stuttering gasps, and she felt so  _ stupid _ , this urge to be cottled was an desire she denied her entire life, for good reason-- even allowing Johnny to see her this vulnerable, let alone touch her,  _ hold  _ her, felt wrong. But then he sat down next to her, back pressed into the corner of the couch. He pulled her up, and V so naturally curled up into him. His arm around her back, hand rubbing mindless, anxious circles in her shoulder, her legs folded up over his, her ear pressed to his chest, all but nuzzled into the crook of his neck. All she could hear was the fluttering of his heartbeat. All she could think of is how fucking  _ glad  _ she was that he was here, that he was real, that he was flesh and blood and how she didn’t  _ know  _ how the fuck she would have survived without him. She heard his breathing catch in his throat, and the way he forced himself to breathe normally.

“God damnit, V,” He hissed weakly, before clearing his throat, swallowing, and beginning again, “You’re not stupid. Don’t think that shit about yourself.”

“But I am,” She whimpered, “You were right, I-I’m fucking naive. I just--” Her voice broke, and she balled one hand into the fabric of his shirt, “--I just  _ hate  _ it here. Everyone’s so-- so  _ cruel  _ a-and  _ ugly  _ and  _ selfish _ a-and I just--”

She barely heard him shushing her, one hand reaching up to run through her loose hair, blunt nails combing over her scalp in a way that made goosebumps raise over her arms. She choked her words over a sob, but continued.

“--I just wanna make it better. Because-- Because what’s the  _ fuckin’  _ point, you know? If I’m not g-gonna at least  _ try _ .”

“ _ Fuck _ , V,” He choked above her, throat clicking. She looked up, and could see that his eyes were watering, not meeting her gaze.  _ Fuck _ , she breathed, she’d never seen him cry before. Johnny Silverhand didn’t fucking cry. He scowled, probably at her thoughts, or maybe at his own, she didn’t know, “Stop that,” He hissed, “‘M not crying. Just-- Just hurts to see you like this.”

“Thought you were as empathetic as a fuckin’ brick,” She muttered into his chest.

“Yeah, then you fuckin’  _ had  _ to cram me in your neuroport-- I don’t get a  _ choice  _ anymore.” His tone was harsh, but it was toothless, a symptom of wounded pride. She didn’t have to be in his head to know that-- she could hear it in the creakiness of his voice, the way it shook.

One arm curled tighter around her, and another joined it. He drew deep breaths, trying to calm his heart that she could hear hammering against his sternum.

“You,” He started, softly, “You were right, you know? I was just scared. You… you’re too fuckin’  _ nice  _ for your own good. You fuckin’ brought me back to life, for fuck’s sake, and why? So I could have a second shot at a life I already wasted? Fuck.”

V just sat there, breath evening out, slowly, surely, although her heart still squeezed tightly in her chest.

Johnny’s fingers found her jaw, lifting her head so he could look at her-- she at him. He swallowed, a single tear sneaking out of his eye and rolling down his cheek. V’s throat tightened, his gaze was almost-- no, it  _ was  _ reverent.

“Fuck me, V. What the hell did you do to me?” He asked so softly her heart ached, “Givin’ me hope, and shit.”

She stared, eyes wide and watery, until Johnny’s thumb ghosted over her lip, and then he went to meet her. Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips met hers, dry and cracked and tasting lightly like sips of whiskey and the sour taste of tobacco-- but  _ shit _ , it was exactly what she imagined, exactly how she wanted him to taste, and she let her hands pull him closer, bury in his hair. His beard scratched against her skin, and she couldn’t breathe through her snotty nose, but she’d be damned if she wanted to. She molded against him easily, but this wasn’t the heated kiss of passion, right before another casual fuck. This felt  _ different _ \-- no tongue, no teeth, but he held her desperately, clutching her tightly as though she might disappear.

They separated after a blissful second, and V’s heart stuttered in her chest as she looked over his face. She brought her hand up and cupped his jaw, thumb smoothing over his cheek.  _ Fuck _ , they had been close-- but they’d never been this…  _ intimate _ . Hell, they’d  _ fucked _ , but they’d never touched each other like this. She felt her heart swell.

“What are you thinking right now?” She asked, barely above a whisper they were so close.

His eyes danced from her eyes, to her lips, before he looked away. “Fuck, I…” He swallowed, “How much I wish you didn’t take those fuckin’ pills. How fuckin’ stupid I feel. Ugh, I hate this sappy shit.”

She couldn’t help but giggle, and his eyes floated back to her.

“I know, Johnny. Thank you.”

“For what? Makin’ you cry?”

“No, dumbass. For this.” She gestured between the two of them, “For coming back. For having a heart.”

A soft grin managed to worm its way onto his face, and he forced it down. She leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, before settling back over his lap, ear pressed to his chest, listening to his racing heart.

“You wanna go out, sometime?”

“What?” She asked, blinking, lifting her head up again.

“I’m sick of seeing you try to get back into the dating scene. No one else is gonna  _ get  _ it, get  _ us _ . No one could ever have what we have.”

“Oh,” She breathed, before she even registered what he was saying, “ _ Oh _ .”

“So, you wanna go out sometime. Try to have a… a real date. Try to pretend we’re normal.”

She smiled, smiled like a dumb fuckin’ kid, and she nodded, “Y-Yeah. Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

Johnny nodded, pursing his lips to keep from grinning. “Yeah. Good. It’s a date, then.”

“Yeah, shit. A date.”

V settled her head back down into Johnny’s chest, and he relaxed underneath her, but his heart never slowed. He combed his fingers through her hair, and she fell asleep to the rhythm of his breathing. All she could think is how she couldn’t have-- never would have-- imagined this happening to her in a million years.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V and Johnny go on that date.

V woke up, blinking absently at the ceiling. She always woke up first, and had learned how to get very good at keeping her thoughts quiet for her roommate and headmate. They had that date today. Fuck, she and Johnny were going on a date today. She felt stupid, heart racing in her chest like when Josh Holiday asked her to go stargazing when she was fourteen. She had grown so much since then-- been through so much shit, died, came back, performed her own personal miracles. She’d taken lives and had given them. And yet, at the prospect of going on a date with her living torture device, she was reduced to that kid scrubbing just enough dust off of her too-small teal flats so you could see the color on them.

“Fuck me,” She breathed, barely above a whisper.

“Mh, I was thinking we’d do that afterwards,” Johnny’s cocky, sleep-claimed voice made his consciousness known-- she was far too occupied with her own thoughts to realize he had woken up, “But I’ll never turn down a quickie.”

“Oh, fuck off, Johnny!” She squeaked, feeling a blush spread up her face. Normally she could take his teasing and torment easily, but today was a different story. Not when her guts felt like they could float out of her at any moment. She threw a pillow across the room, battering the rockerboy’s face with the polyfilled plush. He laughed, that deep, rumbling chuckle that echoed throughout her mind whenever he won, and she tried to organize herself enough to function, to pretend like there wasn’t a dozen angry pythons wriggling under her skin, nervous as all hell for her first date with her goddamn headmate. Outwardly, she’d like to think she was doing pretty good, but unfortunately outwardly didn’t cut it with Johnny.

“You know, you were a cute kid,” Johnny spoke, moving the pillow off of his face, “Did you really only have that one pair of flats out in the desert?”

Yep, that was it, any illusion of control she had snapped and she was back to a blushing, nervous mess. This was ridiculous. Fucking embarassing, frankly. She took a deep breath, not dignifying Johnny’s teasing with a response and instead went to the bathroom to shower. She could feel Johnny roll his eyes.

“Damn, V, you’re a lot of things, but shy isn’t one of them.” He called, getting up and following her into the bathroom, “Wouldn’t have taken you for so… traditional.”

“I’m not,” She muttered, avoiding his gaze as she undressed and stepped into the shower, “I just… I dunno. It’s been a while since I’ve been on like, a real, authentic date. One that wasn’t a blind date, without, y’know. Guns, or screaming. Or impromptu amputations.”

“What?”

“One of my last dates as a Bakker. Poor fucker was so nervous he nearly threw up on his shoes, then I realized it was a cyberware malfunction.”

“ _ Jesus _ .”

“Yeah.”

Johnny smirked, shaking his head. She washed her hair, and with her eyes closed, she could see him walk over to the coffee table and pick up their bottle of omega blockers.

That was part of the arrangement. It was supposed to be a ‘normal’ date, for once, a little, novel slice of normalcy in their otherwise bizarre and fucked-up existences. They both take the omega blockers for the duration of the day, do their own thing, and then when it came time for the date, they went out on their date. No telepathy, no ‘sneak-peeks,’ nothing. Two normal people, going on a normal date. Playing pretend for a day.

V couldn’t pretend she wasn’t extra nervous about this. She had kept Johnny a thought away since he first entered her head, and yeah, it was probably unhealthy, but the thought of being… alone, in her head, terrified her.

“We can skip this part, you know,” He called from the other room, “Wouldn’t mind getting a front-row seat to you gettin’ all dressed up. Assuming you don’t bore me, that is.”

“Someone getting cold feet?” She spoke as she turned off the water, grabbed a towel and started drying off.

“ _ Please _ ,” He laughed sarcastically, but his thoughts were more honest, “Just thinkin’, we don’t have to put on this big, fancy fuckin’ show. We know each other, V, date’s just useless. Skip right to the part where I bury you in the fuckin’ mattress, call it a day.”

Johnny hated the omega blockers. Hasn’t taken them since they got them, and felt fuckin’ trapped the few times V has. They served as his personal cage when he was stuck in her head, locking him in, and now they only lock him out. V was kind of a big deal, now. Who knew what asshole would be around the corner trying to zero her, and her not being able to hear him was bad enough, but  _ him  _ not being able to hear  _ her _ ? Made his guts writhe worse than the pythons V thought were hiding in her. Below his overprotectiveness, V could see something even deeper, more honest-- a deeply-ingrained fear of commitment, and even worse-- the fear of disappointing her.

V felt her breath catch. She didn’t like to dip too deeply into Johnny, but everything was right on the surface, this time. He cared. He wanted this to go well, or not go at all. She tried to ignore how her heart fluttered at the thought. He shot her a look and she hadn’t realized she was staring.

“Well, shit, if you’re gonna go prying thoughts from my skullcap I’ll take the fuckin’ pills,” He grumbled, anger evident in his voice, and below that-- shame. He twisted the lid, shook one of the capsules in his hand, and swallowed it dry. She guessed that in the end, his pride won out. She walked over, holding out her hand. He glared at her, and she found her eyes dipping down to the floor. Somehow, she had already fucked up.

But then he sighed, and he shook out one of the pills into her palm and she took it dry as well. His thoughts were already starting to haze, and she tried to ignore the panic that gripped her-- gripped  _ him _ , as their connection softened, muted, died.

She reached out, hand wrapping around his wrist, before sliding into his palm. Her heart was thundering in her ears at the sudden quiet. This peace would have been welcome months ago, and would have been normal even further back. The thought chilled her. Right now, it just felt like a piece of her died.

“Fuckin’ hate this,” Johnny muttered softly, squeezing her hand in his. She could only imagine his heart was beating as fast as her own was, but she didn’t know. She couldn’t feel it. Fuck, this was a bad idea, wasn’t it?

“It’s okay,” She spoke, both to Johnny and herself, “It’ll be fine. Just for a few hours. When the pills wear off the first time, we can regroup, you know? See if we wanna take the second dose to get us through the date.”

Johnny shook his head, shifting on his heels, “Never woulda thought you’d be the voice of reason for this.”

“Really?” She looked up at him incredulously, “Remind me again, which one of us solved his problems with a nuke?”

“Hey, you decided to solve your problems by raising the fuckin’ dead; you’re not innocent in this, either.”

She felt her face soften at the quip, and she laughed. He looked at her through the corner of his eye and ventured a soft smile.

“This is gonna be great. I can feel it.”

“Sure, keep tellin’ yourself that, princess.”

She gave Johnny’s hand a squeeze, before she finally moved to put on some clothes.

“So, where are you going? You get one day to get rid of me, you gonna skip town? Drive to the coast, see where the wind takes you?”

“Fuck’s sake, Johnny,” She muttered, pulling on some plain clothes, “I’m not getting rid of you. It’s called a surprise. And I’m just gonna go to Misty’s, maybe see Judy if I can’t find anything slutty enough to entice you.”

“Good, was wonderin’ if you were gonna wear that ratty t-shirt and sweats to our ‘classy’ date.”

“And what about you? You gonna dress up at all? Put in any effort?”

“Haven’t decided. Guess you’ll find out when I get there.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever.” V slipped on some shoes and hesitated, looking at her gun.

“Bring it,” Johnny urged, and despite his aloof, flippant attitude a moment ago, he was serious now, “You always pack iron in this city.”

V sighed, nodding. He was right, besides, she knew he was nervous about his lack of communication with her. It was the least she could do, to assuage his fears. She strapped on her belt and slid her gun into her holster.

“Alright, Johnny. I’ll see you tonight. I sent you the address?”

“Yeah, I fuckin’ got the address for your fuckin’ bougie bar. I’ll see you tonight.”

V lingered in the doorway, watching Johnny pout like a damn child for a second, before a smirk creased her face.

“What?”

“Gotta delta. See you later.”

“Right, ugh.”

The door shut behind her as she left her and Johnny’s apartment (technically just hers, the government labeled them as one entity, with the neu-osc), and practically skipped down the steps to the elevator. She took Jackie’s bike out of the garage, habitually checking the tricky tailpipe before she got on, slipping the keycard in the console and starting the ignition. It was a quick trip to Misty’s Esoterica.

The whole shop smelled like incense and candles, an atmosphere she had grown to love in her relatively brief time in the city. Misty stood up at the counter, and smiled ear to ear when she realized who had come into the dim, smokey shop.

“Ah, V! Today’s the day, isn’t it?”

V tried to pretend she wasn’t stupid giddy, “Yeah, it sure is… fuck, Misty. What the hell is my life coming to?”

“Good things, V,” Misty spoke in that warm, cryptic nature of hers, “You and Johnny click. You’re soulmates, like me and Jackie were.”

A sad smile flitted to V’s face-- she had done her grieving, but nothing could properly shake the ache of his passing. “Don't say that. Me ‘n Johnny don’t get along like you and Jack did. You guys were all patience and kindness and, like, love. Me 'n Johnny are just violence, trauma and lust."

"I'm serious, V. I've seen the way you and him look, the way you touch. You got a gold mine you haven't even discovered, yet."

V just shook her head. "Prove it."

"You know when he was born?"

"'Course," V nodded, "November 16th, 1988."

"19-- man, I keep forgetting how old he is," Misty laughed, shaking her head.

"Yeah," V laughed, "It's weird sayin' it out loud."

"Well, I mean, he is pretty spry for someone who's-- what? 89?"

"Jesus christ, feel like a fuckin' gold digger when you say it like that."

"Yeah, sorry. But his birthday's November… yeah, that makes him a Scorpio.  _ Geez _ , explains a lot." She laughed, and V laughed too. She wasn't as big into astrology as Misty was but she knew a thing or two about the stars, grew up looking at them most nights.

"You're a Pisces, right?" Misty asked, like she didn't already know.

"Yeah, March 18th."

Misty grinned and clapped her hands together, leaning against the counter. "Oh, V. You guys are gonna be so good together. Pisces and Scorpios are a great match."

"Is that so?" V leaned against the other side of the counter, skeptical but playing along. She didn't buy into this esoteric stuff a lot, but with the amount of crazy shit she's been through, and the way Misty explained it, she couldn't help but hear her out.

"Yeah, you're both incredibly emotional signs-- Scorpio is much more volatile, while Pisces is very… go-with-the-flow. You two will have your issues with your sensitivity and idealism, and his callousness and anger, but once you two find a middle ground… Oh god, V, it's gonna be beautiful."

Misty spoke with a reverence, and an excitability that V had rarely witnessed. She felt her face redden at the thought-- her and Johnny, actually… soulmates. Sounded too good to be true.

"You're never gonna be exactly… stable. But I don't think either of you could handle a quiet life together. But you guys are gonna fall in love like they do in fairy tales."

"Or we're gonna go up in smoke, right? Drive each other crazy."

Misty laughed, "If you ask some people, that already happened." 

V grinned, nails tracing the wood of the counter, "I'm glad we both took those pills, Misty. I can imagine all the shit Johnny'd be sayin' right now."

"About me tellin' you all this?"

"Nah, about me believing it."

Misty smiled, and genuine warmth spread from her. "C'mon, V. Let's get you all dressed up."

"But what about the shop? I can wait for a little bit, if you need me to."

"It'll be alright. I'll take an early lunch break."

V smiled, "Thanks, Misty. You're the best."

Misty put a sign up on the counter notifying patrons she would be gone, before Misty led V out the front door and down the street.

\---

Johnny tapped his foot restlessly, sitting sideways on the arm of Kerry’s couch, trying to pretend like he wasn’t wringing his hands.

“Fuck’s sake, Johnny, I’ve never seen you so nervous.”

“Fuck off, ‘m not nervous,” Johnny lied.

“What the hell are you even doing over here? I shoulda locked your ass out. You’re lucky I like V.”

“You’ve been waiting to ask that? I’ve already been here a half-hour.”

“Maybe I’m feelin’ sentimental. Besides, weird to see you without your babysitter-- figured she was right behind you.”

“Believe it or not, we aren’t joined at the fuckin’ hip.”

“Yeah, you’re joined at the head, right?”

Johnny just shook his head.

“Wow, you  _ are  _ nervous.” Kerry laughed, “No wicked one-liner from the infamous Johnny Silverhand? Thought it’d be a cold day in hell before I saw that.”

Johnny’s brows knitted together, trying to ignore the furious bouncing of his leg, “Christ, maybe I just decided to stop wasting my oxygen on your sad, pathetic skull sponge.”

Kerry put his hands up, walking over to his personal bar and pouring himself and Johnny a drink.

After a beat of silence Johnny finally cracked.

“‘M going on a date. With V.”

There was a clattering of glass as Kerry all but dropped the tumblers. “You--  _ what _ ? Did I--  _ Christ _ , Johnny. Did you tell her that might be the worst idea she’d ever had?”

Johnny clenched his jaw, “Yeah, prick, I did. If she'd have listened, I wouldn’t be leaving my assprint in your couch right now.”

Kerry started laughing-- it sounded almost hysteric. “Johnny  _ fuckin _ ’ Silverhand, going on a  _ date _ , fuck, that’s rich. Never thought I’d see the day. So, what? She ask you out and you didn’t immediately laugh in her face?”

Johnny sat quietly for a second, reaching for the tumbler as Kerry sat it in front of him, and drained as much as he could of the sharp whiskey in one breath.

“I, uh, I asked her out.”

Kerry choked.

“For  _ fuck’s  _ sake, quit fuckin’ gawkin’. Save that shit for your mind-numbing reality TV.”

Kerry  _ howled _ , and Johnny tried really hard to pretend like he wasn’t red in the face from embarrassment. Why the fuck did he decide this was a good idea? Right, because Kerry was his best and only friend other than V. Spoke a lot about his choices.

“Oh my  _ fucking  _ God, dude, you’re serious! Ho-oly shit!”

“Fuck off, Kerry.”

“So? How did it happen? Were you blackout drunk? Because that is the  _ only  _ way I could see this fuckin’ happening.”

Johnny looked away, tongue feeling like lead in his mouth. His jaw clenched, unclenched, and he considered getting up and walking out, but that wouldn’t be any better than giving Kerry the information he wanted to know.

“What, you want me to spill my guts to you? Tell you my dumbass-fuckin’ love story so you can get all starry-eyed and shit?”

“Well, knowing you, you came here for a reason. So I’m not gonna give you whatever it is you want unless you tell me.”

“ _ Fuck _ , can’t I just be comin’ to visit an old friend?”

“You?” Kerry laughed, “Never.”

Johnny’s eye twitched under his aviators. Fuck it, he could go down and see if Claire wanted to give him any advice-- they weren’t close, but she was the good sort. ...But that meant walking through the fuckin’ Afterlife to find her, probably chancing upon Rogue and…  _ fuck _ him, he wasn’t gonna let that happen.

He let out a deep sigh, fingers kneading his forehead as he felt a headache starting to form.

“I-- I dunno, Kerry. She was just--  _ ugh _ . It’s different. We’re in each other’s heads twenty-four-fuckin’-seven. She feels--  _ fuck _ , I dunno! It just happened! Christ.”

Kerry smirked evilly, reclined into his fucking sofa while he watched Johnny’s misery.

“Does she know how sappy you’re being right now?”

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Johnny cursed, “Made us take fuckin’ pills. For a ‘surprise,’ or some bullshit. Shut me outta her head, her outta mine.”

“Oooooh,” Kerry nodded knowingly, “Then she’s gonna make her escape?”

If looks could kill, Kerry would be dead.

“Relax, jesus! I’m just kidding.” He put his hands up, before finishing off his tumbler, “Honestly, she’s head-over-heels for you. Like, worse than all your old groupies, head-over-heels. She’s not gonna skip town for the opportunity to go out with the One and the Only Johnny Silverhand.”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

Kerry stared, “Johnny, you’re in her fucking head. How have you not noticed?”

“Noticed-- noticed what?” Johnny’s anger was boiling beneath the skin, “How much I make her fuckin’ cry? How often I fuckin’ use her, just like everyone else in this God-forsaken shithole of a city? I was  _ killin’ _ her, still am, but  _ slowly, _ Ker. She’s not ‘head-over-heels’ or whatever it is you fuckin’ think, she’s a fuckin’  _ addict _ , she doesn’t know how to live without me. Wish she woulda let me fuckin’ die on that chip so she could have her life back,” Johnny spat, breath coming in short gasps,  _ fuck _ , were his hands shaking? He needed a cigarette, he needed fuckin’-- fuckin’  _ something _ . He needed her.

For a long moment, they just sat in silence. Finally, Kerry spoke. “Fuck, Johnny.”

“You wanted me to spill my guts,” He stood up, ignoring how hard his heart was hammering in his chest, ignoring the impending panic attack like it would go away, “There. Fuckin’ enjoy.”

“Johnny, Jesus-- hey, I’m sorry, okay? Are-- are you--”

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” He spat, “Just fuckin’ peachy.” He moved, leaning against the railing, peering downstairs. He let his eyes fall closed, holding his breath, letting it out, hands clenched into fists.

He felt Kerry’s hand settle on his shoulder, and Johnny resisted the urge to pry it off and snap it in half.

“I just--  _ fuck _ , I can’t fuck this up, Kerry. I can’t.”

“She knows you, dude. Like you said, she shares a head with you. She’s seen all your demons and then some. Clearly, she can handle it.”

Johnny swallowed thickly.  _ But can she? _

\---

Judy shook her head in the mirror, talking idly with Misty as V sorted through some unused, or retired, Mox outfits. She was so grateful Judy let her in before Lizzie’s opened, made this whole part a whole less awkward.

“Can’t believe you’re doin’ this, V,” Judy  _ tsked _ , “You shoulda just showed up in your sweats. We both know he’s not gonna dress up or act all fancy.”

V simply hummed, trying to pretend like those thoughts weren’t nagging at her anyway. “Hey, at least this way, if he decides to be a dickhead, I can get another date.”

_ Oh _ , that hurt her heart to even say. Misty shook her head, shooting Judy a look. “He will. He’ll do it for V.”

Judy snorted, “Do you hear yourself right now? He’s gonna ‘do it for V’--  _ ha! _ This is Johnny Silverhand, we’re talking about, rockstar, terrorist, and most importantly, class-A jerk.”

“Hey,” V spoke up, glaring at Judy through the mirror, “Cut it out.”

“You  _ know  _ I’m right,” Judy rolled her eyes.

“ _ Actually _ , Judy,” V spoke through clenched teeth, “I know what he’s like. Yeah, you’re right-- he’s a class-A jerk for show,” She spun on her heel, facing the two women, “But have you ever seen him scared? Have you ever seen him shaking like a leaf because he  _ hurt  _ you and he was scared shitless that that was gonna be it? You ever seen him guilty, you ever seen him sorry? Yeah, he’s a jerk, and yeah, nothin’s gonna change that, and  _ yeah _ , he’ll probably make the same mistakes, over and over, and he’ll do a thousand things that piss me off but  _ fuck _ , Judy. He still-- he still tries.”

Judy blinked, mouth opening, shutting, before she shook her head. “You’re hopeless. You’re infatuated with him.” When she said it, there was a crook of a smile on her lips, “Whatever happens between the two of you, I wanna be on the other side a’ town. Just in case you two decide to blow up half the city for fun.”

Misty grinned at V, who caught her breath. She nodded, turning back around and grabbing the outfit that caught her eye.

“Lace? Really? That’s been outta style since before Lizzie kicked it.”

“He’s old as shit, Judy. I think that means he’ll like it.”

“Shit-- right. Alright. You don’t gotta worry about anyone missin’ it.”

V moved to get changed, when she felt a hazy, fuzziness touching her mind, then, it was him. She quickly turned away from the mirror, staring off towards Judy and Misty.

_ Fuck, missed you _ , Johnny admitted. V felt a smile float on her face, readjusting to two sets of inputs.

_ Is that Kerry? _

_ Yeah, made a fuckin’ mistake, there. _

_ C’mon, I’m sure he’s just glad to see you having emotions. It’s a rare sight. _

All V could feel was deep waves of misery, and her face fell, brows knitting.

“V? Everything good?” Misty asked. V simply held a hand, turning away and moving to a more isolated corner of the dressing room.

_ Woah, what happened? What did I miss?  _ She thought frantically.

She could see his conversation with Kerry on replay, and she shuddered.

_ Private. Quit digging in my head,  _ He thought. Their thoughts began to overlap, dizzyingly.

_ We don’t have to do this, we don’t have to take the pills _ \--  _ She wants this, she deserves this-- I miss you, why are you hurting?-- Stop picking, asshole, it’s my head-- I’m sorry, I’m sorry this is my fault-- normal date, normal life, she deserves it. Can’t disappoint. _

She heard him groan, “Ugh, fuck,” As though he was right there with her, before he took the pill out of his pocket and swallow it. She practically screamed in her head.

_ Your turn. Take your pill. _ His voice was sharp and angry and bitter in her head, and she clenched her jaw. She went back to her clothes, digging out the pill and taking it quickly, so he could see it.

_ Good _ , the hazy thought entered her mind, fading, until he was gone again.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” V breathed, hands balling into fists on the dressing room counter.

“Woah, everything okay?” Judy stepped up, Misty right beside her, and V struggled for breath. Her eyes were wild, heart hammering in her chest, felt like she could have a cardiac at any moment.

“He’s hurting--  _ fuck _ , he feels like shit.  _ Fuck _ , I’ve never-- I need to see him.”

Two sets of arms held her down as she struggled to stand upright, breathing coming in short gasps.

“Hey, I thought you guys had an agreement!” Misty said, “You took your pill, didn’t you? Aren’t you gonna surprise him?”

“But--  _ fuck _ , he’s panicking! He’s not-- he doesn’t  _ do _ this--”

“If you wanna know what’s wrong with him so bad, why the hell did you take your pill, V?” Judy grunted, trying to hold her in place.

“Be-- _ because _ \--” She finally sat down, “He wanted me to. He trusts me. He-- He  _ trusts _ me, I can’t betray that.”

V put her head in her hands, staring at the floor. She felt Misty’s hand run through her hair, shushing her.

“He’s probably just a little anxious, V. He hasn’t been on a real date since, what? 2020? He’s probably afraid he’s rusty.”

“He doesn’t wanna disappoint me,” She breathed, “He doesn’t wanna fuck this up.”

There was a moment of silence between the three of them.

“What if he stands me up? What if he leaves town, what if he--”

“What? V, what the fuck are you talking about?” Judy cut in.

V just stopped, looking up at Judy, trying to ignore the tears threatening to cover her vision.

“You just got done telling me he tries. He tries,  _ for you _ , ugh. And he’s scared he’s gonna disappoint you. So, how the fuck are you adding two and two and getting eleven? He’s gonna show, he  _ has  _ to, based upon this picture you’re painting me.”

V blinked, nodding. “I just-- fuck. Maybe I shoulda left well enough alone. Maybe--”

“For  _ fuck’s _ sake, V!” Judy groaned, “Are you gonna keep wallowing? Or are you gonna get in that sexy outfit you picked out, go to this bar, and blow his fuckin’ mind?”

V nodded, then nodded again. “Shit, you’re right. You’re right. Let’s do this.”

“Good,” Judy nodded, “Because you’ve got thirty more minutes before I have to kick you out. Susie will have my  _ ass  _ if she found out I let people in early.”

\---

Johnny fidgeted in his seat, seething. Why the fuck did V pick this bougie, corp-infested bar in city center? It was stuffy, stiff and  _ way _ too polite. He knew it was just civilian-friendly enough for him to keep his gun on him, but that didn’t mean he was welcome. Tyger Claws were swarming. He played with the buttons on his sleeves, in some suit that was  _ not _ his style, hair tied back out of his face, felt like an idiot just sitting there, waiting for V. She was five minutes late, and now he was starting to really think she skipped town.  _ Fuck me _ , he thought, foot tapping anxiously.

Then she walked in, met his gaze, and he barely recognized her.

Her sand-colored, curly hair was held back in some tight updo, long strands in front falling loose, framing her face. The light caught her copper and bronze highlights, which would bleach in the desert sun. Those charcoal-colored eyes were painted a soft, smoky pink and lined with black liner, and her lips were a deep, dark matte red. A silver dot marked above her top and below her bottom lip. She wore a black leather jacket, one with a tall collar with some cheap gold lines painted into it, it went down to her elbows and the edge of her waist, obviously being just for show. Beneath that was little more than lingerie-- maroon lace almost the same color of her lipstick, a plunging neckline, showing off the silver and copper of her cyberware as it drew faint lines under her collarbone and over her sternum. Her tits looked great, he admired shamelessly, hidden just enough to keep from getting an indecent exposure notice, and a sleek, black push-up cradling them in the absence of proper clothing. She wore simple, black shorts and sheer leggings with a rose pattern. Her heels were tall, sexy, slutty, but what completed the package was that pretty revolver strapped to her exposed thigh. She somehow looked effortlessly like a corpo and a doll, and yet still like the classiest merc in the city. She strutted over to the table and took a seat across from him, and despite the appearances, her smile was genuine.

"Damn," he muttered, only loud enough for her to hear, "You win. I'm fuckin' surprised."

"So am I," She smirked, "You look good."

"Yeah? Don't feel it. Feel like I'm wearing a Corpo-rat's skin."

V only grinned, stretching her hands across the table. Something was different, then he realized. V's nails were painted-- like, really painted, not that fifty-cent polish that chipped half-off after a day, but lingered for weeks.

"Goddamn, you really cleaned up for this, huh?"

She looked down, sheepishly, "I figured after putting you through hell, it's the least I could do."

He swallowed, shaking his head. He reached out and took her hand, thumb tracing over her knuckles. "Jesus, V, I'm not some sad, clingy puppy. I've been through hell, that wasn't it."

A small smile formed on her face. "So, how was Kerry?"

"An ass, don't know what I was expecting."

"What? What did he do?"

Johnny just rolled his eyes, withdrawing his hand so he could prop them up against the back of the booth they were settled in. "Well, he just couldn't get over the fact that I was going on a date. Thought it was the biggest joke of the century. Also, used it as an excuse to get me to be his fuckin' dress-up doll-- think this was some sort of punishment for all my past mistakes." He gestured to the suit, which was still making his skin crawl.

But, despite his gruffness, V laughed, fingers floating over her lips to hide her enthusiasm. Johnny felt a ghost of a smile fall to his lips.

"Then his kids showed up--  _ Jesus _ , that was a nightmare. Started tellin' them all about how I was a changed man, was starting to settle down-- ugh."

"Like you'd ever settle down," V spoke with mirth in her eyes.

"Exactly," he smirked, "I'll be burnin' down Corp buildings as long as I'm still kickin', no date is gonna change that."

"God, I fuckin' count on it."

Johnny's knee quit bouncing. V had her hand propped under her chin, fingers tapping against her jaw, the look in her eyes reverent. She, for a moment, looked like one of his old groupies, hanging onto his every word, but she wasn't a sheep, following him to the ends of the earth, even jumping off if he so much as suggested it. She wasn't one to waste time or energy like that. She was making a choice. Meant she must like what he has to say.

"So, you're not tryin' to change me," He spoke lowly, leaning forward to meet her, "If that's the case, why the fuck did you take me to a bar crawling with corpo-trash?"

V's face folded into an elegant smirk, and  _ shit _ , he hadn't realized she wore devious so well. "Oh, I dunno. Why  _ would _ anyone bring the world's most famous anti-capitalist to the last remaining stronghold of Arasaka goons?"

Johnny's heart fluttered-- as did his groin. "God damn,” He breathed, “You fucking minx."

She straightened up as the waitress approached their table, and took their orders. Once she left, Johnny lowered his voice, arms pressed against the table as he leaned in.

"And to think I was gonna be on my best behavior for you? Shit."

"I thought your 'best behavior' was keeping just enough self control to not slide my tits outta this skimpy teddie and fuck me over the table."

"So it is just lingerie?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"It won't take me long to find out."

"Patience," she breathed, although her face was flushed beneath her freckles and scars.

He let a cocky grin pull on his lips as he leaned back again, propping one knee against the edge of the table. 

"So? You got any plan?" He knew V better than to assume she had a plan. She was good at thinking on her feet, most of her ops were reduced to a series of bullet points about what to look for and what needed done. It had blown up in her face a few times, but Night City seemed willing to forget that if it meant her fixers weren't putting their necks on the line scouting the coords of their jobs. And that was her work, let alone her date night.

"There's a bunch of suits whispering about something important across the bar, scanner says they're the few remaining security heads at Arasaka."

"Holy shit, V. How much planning did you have to do to get  _ that _ to happen?" Johnny asked, trying to disguise his awe.

"No planning," V giggled,  _ giggled, _ grin growing wider, bolder, "Just dumb fuckin' luck. I had heard Arasaka goons turned up around here, but-- damn, we hit the jackpot."

"Yeah, but the trouble with big-wigs means they've got huscle. Gotta be those Tygers I've been spotting."

V was about to open her mouth before snapping it closed, drinks arriving. The waitress set the drinks on the table and disappeared amongst her duties yet again.

"How well you think Tygers fight in the dark?"

"...Where are you goin' with this?"

"The circuit breaker to the building is in a terminal next to the little girl's room. Wouldn't be hard to jack in."

"You just love to cause trouble, don't you?"

"Just means I can keep up with you."

He took his shot, before reaching one hand across the table and taking V's in his own. “So, lights go out, Tygers won’t be able to see us takin’ out their bosses-- one problem with that, sweetheart-- we won’t be able to see their bosses to take them out.”

V clicked her tongue, thoughtfully. “Maybe we don’t need to take them out ourselves… you know, it is our date, no reason to put ourselves in unnecessary danger…”

He shot her a look, “Don’t fuckin’ tease me like that, V.”

She simply grinned, “Tensions are running high over there, you know. One of them already… yep. Already has a hand on his gun. Wouldn’t be hard to incite a riot with a shot in the air.”

Johnny considered, “And they kill each other.”

“Like Arasaka has been known to do. I’ve never seen a more self-destructive corp, honestly.”

“Jesus, V. You’re fucked in the head. It’s sexy.”

She smiled proudly, sipping her drink.

“And, there’s an exit perfectly situated behind you, so when the lights cut out, I’ll meet you around back. Probably an alley. Easy getaway.”

“You fuckin’ better. So, you jack and I’ll shoot? See where it all lies when we finish?”

“Exactly.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“Well, we can’t get caught, because no one will have seen us.”

“And if they do?”

“Well, it’s a good thing I was planning on taking you out of the city after this, huh?”

He shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“Shit, looks like the waitress’ meet over by the bathrooms for shift change, hm… soon as they disperse I’ll probably be able to hack in without too much suspicion.”

“So we actually have to sit and act like we get along until they move?”

V took another sip of her drink, grinning, “I know it’ll be hard for you, you think you can manage it?”

“With the opportunity to  _ keep _ knocking Arasaka down some pegs? Yeah, I think I’ll manage.”

He studied her, feeling a smirk cross his face. Her eyes met his, before darting down to the table, face flushing, lip catching between her teeth. She had been right; it did take every semblance of self-control he could muster to not tear that teddie off with his teeth and fold her over the table.

“So, what did you and Misty talk about? She cleanse your chakras or whatever she does?”

“She looked up our signs. Says we’re a really good match.”

“Psh. And you believed her?”

“Maybe a little,” V admitted, “She said some things that made sense.”

“Like what?”

Her eyes darted up to his, that playful look on her face again, “That the sex would be fantastic.”

Johnny couldn’t help but laugh. Her face rose into a smile and--  _ fuck _ , had she always been this pretty? Between the makeup and the dim lighting of the bar, she looked downright  _ breathtaking _ .

“You’re fuckin’ pretty, you know that, V?” He dared.

“What?”

“What? It’s a date, figured I could tell you at least once.”

She smiled, blushing, and he could see that nervous fourteen year old V was thinking about this morning. He could imagine her heart beating in her chest like a caged bird. He couldn’t lie to himself, though, his was too.

“Oh, looks like that’s my cue,” She muttered softly, eyes shifting from the bathrooms to Johnny, “You ready?”

He laughed, letting a rare, genuine smile slip onto his face, “Oh, I was born ready, V.  _ Reborn  _ ready. Let’s see these motherfuckers fall apart.

She stood up, but before she could walk off, she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, and he had to try and pretend that his heart didn’t explode and implode at the softness of the gesture. “See you on the other side, samurai.”

She walked away, and he forgot how to breathe. He had to force himself to watch her walk away, head too distracted to even realize his opportunity to watch her shapely ass in those tight shorts and the way she strutted in those luxurious heels. He swallowed, before he paused. Fuck, he hadn’t felt anything like  _ that _ before. Maybe with Rogue, once, but it was so buried it was forgotten under the drugs and the sex and the violence.

Oh, God damn it. Johnny Silverhand had fucked up and fallen in love.

He counted his own breaths-- his heartbeats were innumerable, at this point-- trying to forget his own realization. He was thankful,  _ thankful  _ V wasn’t in his head right now. How pathetic was that-- one sweet gesture, one look, one touch-- was that all it took?

He knew it wasn’t, or he would’ve led a much different life. He, logically, knew, it was because he had stared deep into V, into her most private dreams and most troubled nightmares, and liked what he saw. But in the moment, he felt fucking stupid.

He couldn’t for long, though. The lights went out, the windowblinds slammed shut, leaving the bar in complete darkness. Johnny heard a few surprised, Japanese voices, and he moved to stand up, step out of the booth. He pulled his revolver out of his pocket and fired three shots into the ceiling. The screaming was immediate, followed by more gunfire.

A shot of adrenaline shot through him when one man cried out, and suddenly the entire bar was full of shouting and shooting. Johnny made his exit, rushing to the exit, pushed in a tidal wave of terrified customers. He grinned, chuckling to himself, as he holstered his gun and stepped out into the nightlight.

V was easy to spot, she had stepped out of an exit on the opposite side of the building, leaned against the wall, listening to the commotion. He stepped over to her, and he realized she was much taller in those heels-- almost meeting his height. That just meant he could brush his hand at the back of her neck easier, dipping his head so their lips met. It was short, it was sweet, but it left the promise of desires unfulfilled as of yet. Her face flushed and her eyelashes fluttered open when he pulled back, smirking. He took her hand in his and led her out of the alley and around the front of the building with other patrons.

“Holy shit, is that-- Trauma team? Fuck, you didn’t actually  _ shoot  _ someone, did you?” She asked, astonished.

He laughed, “Couldn’t see to fire if I wanted to. Nah, they did all the work themselves.”

“God  _ damn _ , they are a paranoid bunch, huh? I’ve met Malstromers with more trust.”

Trauma Team came out of the sky about the same time the fighting spilled out onto the street, Tygers prowling, guns out, ready to fire on civilians.

“ _ Fuck _ , they figured it out,” V muttered.

“Some of ‘em, anyway-- shit, let’s get outta here.”

“Never heard of you turning down a fight,” She smiled, tone joking, as she followed him without hesitation to where he parked.

“Don’t want these long, sexy legs to take any lead. Not before I’ve had my fun with ‘em.”

She laughed, sliding into the passenger's seat of his porsche, and he started the engine. There was shouting behind them.

“Aw fuck,” V cursed, “Gun it. They’re headed this way.”

Johnny glanced in the rearview, before shooting a look to V. “You keep them off my tail, I’ll keep us moving outta the city.”

The Tyger Claws opened fire. V ducked, before she removed the gun from her thigh holster. Johnny floored it.

\---

V laughed, head thrown back, hair pulled down as they rolled into the desert wastes outside of Night City. Adrenaline still pumped through her blood, despite the firefight being left long behind.

Johnny leaned back in his seat, driving something like 120 on the empty stretch of dirt road. He looked relaxed, he looked cocky, he looked like, well,  _ Johnny _ . He drove with his left hand on the wheel, right resting on the armrest. V reached out and plunked his hand into hers. He glanced over to her for a second, and he smiled.

“You know, for a second I thought you were gonna get my baby scratched. But you handled yourself pretty well.”

“‘Pretty well’?” She laughed, “I spared your Porsche even an  _ eddie  _ worth of damage! That’s fucking phenominal, if you ask me.”

He grinned, giving her hand a squeeze, “We talk about me having a big ego, shit.”

She rolled her eyes, laughing. She sat forward, looking up at the sky through the windshield.

“Here, pull over over there. We’re at a good spot.”

Johnny shot her a look, but obliged. They settled to a stop, in the middle of nowhere. Johnny glanced around incredulously. V simply smiled, squeezing his hand, before stepping out into the sand.

He followed suit, walking around to the front of the Porsche to meet her. She pointed up at the sky, and Johnny craned his neck to look up.

“Oh,” He spoke, softly, “Shit, you said you missed the stars. This why you took me all the way out here?”

“When was the last time you got the chance to take a good look at ‘em?” She smiled, leaning lightly on the hood, eyes tracing the faintest outlines of constellations she had memorized.

“Fuck, well, it’s been 50 some years, probably. ‘N I still didn’t pay much attention, was too busy tryin’ to tear things down.”

V looked at him, before her eyes dropped to where their hands were curling together. Fingers interlocked, naturally, as if breathing. She looked back up, and he met her gaze.

“Shit, what the hell do we need the stars for?” He spoke, voice barely above a whisper, “You’re right here.”

Her heart stuttered in her chest, and she felt her face heat up. “Oh, wow,” She laughed, “That was cheesy.”

He rolled his eyes, “What, would you rather I just tell you to take your pants off?”

“I… I think I like this. I had a lot of fun, tonight.”

He smiled, “Me too. Not every day a pretty girl takes me to a bar to do gallery shooting with corps for targets. Probably one of the best dates I’ve had.”

V’s breath caught in her throat and she smiled, warm, bright, almost painfully. She brought a hand up to his cheek, thumb rubbing his well-groomed beard, and she leaned in, lips pressing against his, warmly, sweetly, tenderly. Her heart fluttered.

Alright, maybe she could admit it.

She might have been in love with Johnny Silverhand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy shit guys, there it is, the longest self-contained fanfiction I've ever completed. Goddamn. Is everyone ooc? Probably. Do things make sense? I don't know. Was it beta read? You bet your sweet ass it wasn't. I hope you enjoyed this ride of a date because it took me like three days to write.


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